Mac’s Hacks: Kitchen Edition

Hello again! I am so glad that you’re back love! I hope that you came hungry because for this blog I’m going to be helping those cooking-challenged people, like me, look like a pro in the kitchen. If you can’t take the heat, stick around.

The first thing that we will go over is substitutes that you can use in the kitchen. Sometimes you find yourself halfway through a recipe then come to realize you don’t have one of the ingredients. Do not panic you can look up a substitution to almost anything on the internet but in case you don’t wanna take the time here are some very handy replacements for some of the most forgettable ingredients.

The next thing that may help you in the kitchen is a conversion chart incase all of your teaspoons are dirty and you don’t have time to clean or if you simply don’t have one of the measuring tools that you need.

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup

8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup

1 cup = 1/2 pint

2 cups = 1 pint

4 cups (2 pints) = 1 quart

4 quarts = 1 gallon

16 ounces = 1 pound

Dash or pinch = less than 1/8 teaspoon

t = teaspoon

tsp = teaspoon

T = tablespoon

Tbsp = tablespoon

c = cup

oz = ounce

pt = pint

qt = quart

gal = gallon

lb = pound

# = pound

Lastly lovely people, I would like to share a couple quick, fun tips I found while browsing this wide metropolis called the interweb.

Put a cookie pan under a bowl or mixer to keep your counter nice and clean.

Cutting lots of herbs for a yummy recipe? Use a pizza cutter. It is fast and efficient.

Anytime you want something to boil or cook faster, sprinkle a little salt in there; it’ll help the water to heat faster (remember if you’re cooking something like pasta don’t do too much salt because you will be able to taste it, if you’re cooking something like hard boiled eggs though? Salt away my compadre.)

Just made a smoothie, don’t get your sponge all nasty pop in some soap and warm water and blend, bam! Clean blender.

Trying to juice a lemon? Heat it for ten seconds then juice it, it’ll make the juice more ready to flow.

I hope that these simple and easy tips will help you out next time your bakin it up in kitchen, maybe with your boo or girls on Valentine’s day. Have a blast, and don’t be afraid to get creative! If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in my upcoming blogs email me at the address below.

Lauren MacGregor

Lauren MacGregor is a sophomore. She is a first year journalism student and enjoys taking photos, painting, and being with her dog. Lauren is taking all honors this year and is hoping to get into NC State under some sort of art major. You can learn more about Lauren by going to her website, laurenmacgregor.weebly.com